Protective role of propolis in chlorpyrifos-induced changes in the haematological parameters and the oxidative/antioxidative status of Cyprinus carpio carpio

The protective effect of propolis on haematological parameters and antioxidant status were evaluated in the blood and various tissues of carp exposed to chlorpyrifos (CPF). The fish were exposed to sublethal concentrations of CPF (0.040 and 0.080 mg/L) for 10 days, and propolis (10 mg per kg of fish weight) was simultaneously administered. Samples of the blood and tissue (liver, kidney, and gill) were collected at the end of the experiment and analysed for their oxidant–antioxidant status, including the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity. The samples were also measured for changes in the haematological parameters, such as the red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) counts, the haemoglobin concentration (Hb), the haematocrit (Ht) level, and the erythrocyte indices: the mean corpuscular volume (MCV), the mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and the mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC). The findings of this study demonstrated that CPF had a negative effect on the haematological parameters and the antioxidant enzyme activities of the fish; this toxic effect was neutralised by the administration of propolis. The present results suggest that propolis can be effective in the protection of CPF-induced toxicity in fish.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon levels in three pelagic fish species from Atlantic Ocean: inter-specific and inter-season comparisons and assessment of potential public health risks

The concentrations of 18 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in three commercially valuable fish species (sardine, Sardina pilchardus; chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus; and horse mackerel, Trachurus trachurus) from the Atlantic Ocean. Specimens were collected seasonally during 2007–2009. Only low molecular weight PAHs were detected, namely, naphthalene, acenaphthene, fluorene and phenanthrene. Chub mackerel (1.80–19.90 μg/kg ww) revealed to be significantly more contaminated than horse mackerel (2.73–10.0 μg/kg ww) and sardine (2.29–14.18 μg/kg ww). Inter-specific and inter-season comparisons of PAHs bioaccumulation were statistically assessed. The more relevant statistical correlations were observed between PAH amounts and total fat content (significant positive relationships, p ? 0.05), and season (sardine displayed higher amounts in autumn–winter while the mackerel species showed globally the inverse behavior). The health risks by consumption of these species were assessed and shown to present no threat to public health concerning PAH intakes.     

毛细管气相色谱法测定鱼油脂肪乳注射液中DHA和EPA的含量

目的采用毛细管气相色谱法对鱼油脂肪注射液的DHA和EPA含量进行测量的效果进行研究分析。方法抽取同一批次的鱼油脂肪注射液,采用毛细管气象色谱法对DHA和EPA的含量进行测定,载气选择氦气,流速控制在0.5mL/min,柱温进行程序升温,采用FID检测器,分流比为5：1,进样口温度控制在300℃,进样量为1μL。结果经过仔细研究后笔者发现,被检测的鱼油脂肪注射液中DHA甲酯的浓度在0.216～0.712g/L,EPA甲酯的浓度在0.224～0.768g/L的现象关系非常明显,两种成分的回收率均在99%以上,RSD水平均在0.50%以上。结论采用毛细管气象色谱法对鱼油脂肪注射液的DHA和EPA含量进行测量主要具有操作简单、方便快捷、准确度高、重现性好等特点,可作为今后对该药物的成分含量进行测定的常规方法。     

Immunolocalization of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 2 (CRF-R2) in the developing gut of the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.)

Our previous data indicated an important role for adrenocorticotropic (ACTH)-like molecules co-operating with macrophages to control the modifications in body homeostasis during the first period of the life of sea bass (up to 30 days post-hatching) before the lymphoid cells have reached complete maturation. The aim of the study was to determine the immunolocalization of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), which is a very important mediator of stress-related responses. Our data showed that immunostaining for CRF is localized already at 8 days after hatching in nerve fibers of the gastrointestinal tract wall from the pharynx to the anterior gut, when the larvae are still feeding on yolk. This pattern of immunolocalization appeared similar to that in 24-day-old larvae, but at this stage there were also large cells immunopositive to CRF located in the wall of the midgut and hindgut. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment, which is a known stimulator of stress hormone responses, did not modify the CRF immunostaining pattern, though it did affect the immunolocalization of the peripheral CRF receptor, i.e. CRF-R2. Immunolocalization of CRF-R2 appeared in nerve fibers of the gut wall in larvae fixed 1 h after the end of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. The present results suggest that CRF plays important autocrine and/or paracrine roles in the early immune responses at the gut level in the larval stages of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) as already proposed for ACTH. Moreover, our studies taken together with other research on fish, in comparison with mammals, suggest a phylogenetically old role of CRF in immune-endocrine interactions.     

Comparison of biochemical effects of statins and fish oil in brain: the battle of the titans

Neural membranes are composed of glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, cholesterol and proteins. The distribution of these lipids within the neural membrane is not random but organized. Neural membranes contain lipid rafts or microdomains that are enriched in sphingolipids and cholesterol. These rafts act as platforms for the generation of glycerophospholipid-, sphingolipid-, and cholesterol-derived second messengers, lipid mediators that are necessary for normal cellular function. Glycerophospholipid-derived lipid mediators include eicosanoids, docosanoids, lipoxins, and platelet-activating factor. Sphingolipid-derived lipid mediators include ceramides, ceramide 1-phosphates, and sphingosine 1-phosphate. Cholesterol-derived lipid mediators include 24-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, and 7-ketocholesterol. Abnormal signal transduction processes and enhanced production of lipid mediators cause oxidative stress and inflammation. These processes are closely associated with the pathogenesis of acute neural trauma (stroke, spinal cord injury, and head injury) and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease. Statins, the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, are effective lipid lowering agents that significantly reduce risk for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Beneficial effects of statins in neurological diseases are due to their anti-excitotoxic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Fish oil omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, have similar anti-excitotoxic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in brain tissue. Thus the lipid mediators, resolvins, protectins, and neuroprotectins, derived from eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid retard neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptotic cell death in brain tissue. Like statins, ingredients of fish oil inhibit generation of beta-amyloid and provide protection from oxidative stress and inflammatory processes. Collective evidence suggests that antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties of statins and fish oil contribute to the clinical efficacy of treating neurological disorders with statins and fish oil. We speculate that there is an overlap between neurochemical events associated with neural cell injury in stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. This commentary compares the neurochemical effects of statins with those of fish oil.     

羟喜树碱注射乳剂的制备及其灭菌稳定性研究

目的：制备羟喜树碱（HCPT）乳剂并考察不同油相、磷脂（PL）及灭菌条件对乳剂质量的影响。方法：采用高压均质法制备羟基喜树碱注射乳剂,考察不同种类油相、磷脂对乳剂包封率、粒径、ξ电位、游离脂肪酸和过氧化值的影响,采用正交试验优化处方,并选择最佳灭菌条件。结果：羟喜树碱乳剂的最佳处方为20％鱼油,2％PL-100M,制备温度80℃,均质压力700bar。所制备的乳剂平均粒径为190．6±20．1nm,包封率为89．4％,在121-12,15min灭菌条件下,乳剂的粒径、包封率、过氧化值和游离脂肪酸无明显变化。结论：羟喜树碱静脉鱼油乳剂包封率高、大小均匀并且能够耐受高压灭菌。     

Oral Specific Desensitization in Food-Allergic Children

The possibility of obtaining oral desensitization in patients with food allergy is still a matter of debate. We decided to evaluate the safety and efficacy of standardized protocols for oral desensitization with the most common food allergens. Forty-two children (ages up to 16 years) diagnosed as affected by food allergy (on the basis of clinical history, skin prick tests, measurement of specific IgE, and double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge) underwent a sublingual-oral desensitizing treatment according to new standardized protocols. The control group consisted of 10 patients who followed an elimination diet. The treatment was successfully completed by 85.7% of the patients. Specific IgE showed a significant decrease, while specific IgG₄ showed a significant increase, in all treated patients. The immunological modifications observed in our patients lead us to hypothesize that oral tolerance may be mediated by the same mechanisms as those involved in traditional desensitizing treatments for respiratory and insect sting allergy.     

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in Purkinje cells of adult zebrafish: An autocrine mode of action?

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has a neuroprotective role in Purkinje cells of cerebellum, promoting the survival and the differentiation of these cells. Its signalling is mediated by a receptorial complex GFRalpha1/RET. In the brain of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) we previously investigated GDNF expression and localization, but no data exist regarding GFRalpha1 and RET presence. Thus, the present study was designed to clarify the morphological relation between GDNF and its receptorial complex GFRalpha1/RET immunoreactivity in the cerebellum of adult zebrafish. The expression of gdnf, GFRalpha1 and ret genes was demonstrated in adult zebrafish cerebellum by a standard RT-PCR. The distribution of GDNF and its receptorial complex GFRalpha1/RET was examined by single and double immunocytochemical stainings. In the valvula and corpus cerebelli GDNF, GFRalpha1 and RET immunoreactivity was seen co-localized in Purkinje cells, identified morphologically and by using an antiserum against a specific marker for these cells, aldolase C enzyme. In the vestibulolateralis lobe, Purkinje neurons were lacking in both the eminentiae granulares and medial caudal lobe. These results demonstrated the expression of the GDNF receptorial complex in adult zebrafish cerebellum and suggest an autocrine mode of action of GDNF in Purkinje cells.